Monday, August 23, 2010

Chocolate Layer Cake for Baby's First Birthday

We wanted a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting for Baby's first birthday, but I had a little trouble finding a recipe which fit my criteria for a baby. All the recipes I found had some ingredient I did not want to use--Guiness Stout, coffee, vegetable shortening, tomato soup, mayonnaise (ugh!), corn syrup. Admittedly chocolate cake is never going to be considered a health food, but Baby does not need those other ingredients introduced into her diet. I didn't even decorate the cake, although I was very tempted to use sprinkles, because I didn't want to use any artificial colors.

Ultimately, I started a Talk Topic on Serious Eats and that is where a fellow reader, AnnieNT, introduced me to this cake recipe, which is from Hershey's website. The cake is easy to make, very chocolately, and has the perfect moistness. Check out the Talk thread to see some other delicious sounding chocolate cakes.

Here, I thought Baby was about to go in face first, like she sees the dogs doing but she did not. She sure loved the cake! She's never had anything like it and found it very delightful. She was covered in chocolate and so was her high chair by the time she was finished. Luckily, we were having a backyard barbeque and her wading pool was filled nearby. Also, the great Ikea high chair ($25) can be hosed down.

14 comments:

Happy 1st Birthday to Baby :o) I have pictures of all 3 of mine looking like this on their first birthday, it is so precious! Love the thoughtful process you used to find the perfect recipe for this occasion! The recipe looks like a keeper :o)

Belated Happy Birthday Baby! She looks like she loved that cake! My sons' birthday is coming up & he always wants chocolate cake so I think I'll do a trial version of this one and will see how he likes it!

I tried this with cupcakes, They boiled over and started a small fire in my oven. I removed the burning drops and cleaned up the parts btwn cupcakes. They taste fantastic. Next time I will either do a traditional cake or fill up the cupcakes halfway or less. I would also make sure to put a cookie tray under the cupcake tray.

Vanessa, I don't know any reason coconut oil wouldn't work just fine. But I have not tried it, so I can't say for sure. If you try it, would you check back and let me know for sure--I might want to use it next time. Thank you for your comment, Rocquie